Coronavirus risk assessments

Onkar Sahota: What progress have you made on developing and implementing risk assessments for staff who may be vulnerable to COVID-19?

The Mayor: Within the GLA an internal working group was set up to manage the process of risk assessment implementation, with membership from the following teams: Equalities & Fairness, Public Health, Workplace Equality Diversity & Inclusion, and HR & OD, plus representatives from UNISON and our BAME staff network and the staff network for disability, with expert advice from our Occupational Health provider (TfL). We also liaised with the GLA Group.
We are implementing our risk assessments in a phased approach; phase one is focused on a medically led assessment of the risk an individual faces in relation to Covid-19, based on their individual risk factors including gender, age, ethnicity, BMI and underlying health conditions. This risk assessment follows an approach supported by ALAMA (Association of Local Medical Advisors). This phase one assessment is delivered confidentially via a paper based occupational health assessment, where the assessor gathers additional information via telephone consultations where required.
Phase two will incorporate a more holistic assessment of the risk posed to an individual’s wellbeing, including any ongoing risk to their mental health. This element will be led by line managers and/or colleagues from our HR & OD team.
Both sets of assessment are completely voluntary and staff opt in to the process.
Phase one was initially rolled out to our staff who were based in our workplaces throughout the pandemic, i.e. Facilities Management staff. However, the option to undertake an assessment has now been made available to all colleagues should they wish to take part. This is supplemented by detailed and specific advice from Occupational Health advisors on measures to ensure that the level of risk within the workplace is minimized as far as is possible.

Flexible working

Tony Devenish: Will you consider developing the GLA's flexible hour working models to both attract new staff and retain existing staff from retired Londoners, parents, disabled and BAME communities and others who value public service to protect front line public services?

The Mayor: London’s diversity is its biggest asset and we strive to make sure our workforce reflects this diversity at every level. We are a modern employer with a range of progressive employee policies, and partnerships with external organisations, such as Time Wise, the CITC Race at Work Charter, Disability Confident Scheme and we are a Stonewall Top 100 employer, reaching number 22 in 2020.
We have a range of flexible working arrangements allowing all staff to balance work and home commitments. We regularly review our HR policies and will look for opportunities to further enhance our flexible working offer and to promote awareness to staff.
In addition to flexible working, I will share some examples of the action we have taken to attract, support and retain the groups you have highlighted.